Products
Description

Olive leaf extract is a rediscovery of a substance used in ancient Biblical times. This substance is derived from the plain olive leaf (Olea europaea) and has multiple health applications The ancient Egyptians may have been the first to make practical use of the olive leaf using it in the mummification of their kings. In later cultures, olive leaf extracts were used as a popular folk remedy to relieve fevers.

The following information is from historical medical literature.

The first formal medical documentation describing the use of the olive leaf to cure severe cases of fever and malaria appeared around the 1850's. For example, a simple healing remedy using olive leaves was published in 1854 in a Pharmaceutical Journal. More recently, Italian researchers found the olive leaf extract (oleuropein) had the capacity to lower blood pressure in animals. Oleuropein is a substance found in the olive leaf. It is classified an iridoid which is a structural class of chemical compounds found in plants. Other European researchers confirmed this finding and determined that olive leaf extract also increased blood flow In the coronary arteries, relieved arrhythmias (irregular heart beats), and prevented intestinal muscle spasms.

In the late 1960's, research by Upjohn Laboratories showed that elenolic acid, a substance derived from olive leaf extract, killed viruses. Among the viruses tested were herpes and influenza. Elenolic acid was also effective against parasitic protozoa and bacteria. It was also found to counteract a variety of viruses associated with the common cold in humans.

Olive leaf extract has been successfully used by doctors to treat a wide variety of infections. It may be especially helpful in viral infections as there are few other natural substances that have as much positive research and clinical results.